


A Matter of Being There

by Akiko_Natsuko



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Fluff, Friendship/Love, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Secrets, Sick Character, Trust, Understanding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-08
Updated: 2018-11-08
Packaged: 2019-08-20 10:36:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 575
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16554164
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Akiko_Natsuko/pseuds/Akiko_Natsuko
Summary: It had taken time, and many missteps on both their parts but gradually Noctis had learned that Ignis would always be there, and Ignis had learned to wait for the Prince to come to him.





	A Matter of Being There

    Noctis had always been in the habit of hiding when he was hurting or ill as a child, well not always. It was a habit he had developed after the attack that had nearly killed him, and had killed his mother, unable to forget how his father had worried about him, hovering even as he recovered, neglecting his other duties. He had seen the work that had piled up, heard whispers of the problems that could have been fixed sooner if the King hadn’t been distracted, and at some point, he had made up his mind that he wouldn’t be a distraction again. It wasn’t easy, not least because Regis had always been there when he was ill or hurt, his mere presence soothing Noctis in a way that no one else could.

At least until he met Ignis.

    At first Ignis had been a complication, because he was always there, that was his duty and he carried it out meticulously. However, it wasn’t long before it went beyond that. He watched Noctis in a way that no one else did, learning to see through the masks and the acting, to see the little quirks that betrayed when he was hurting or feeling under the weather. It was like learning a whole other language, and Noct didn’t make it easy for him, but slowly he learned, always making sure he was there, whether it was with a potion, a willing ear or a bribe if he felt that Noctis needed more help than Ignis alone could provide. It had taken time, and many missteps on both their parts but gradually Noctis had learned that Ignis would always be there, and Ignis had learned to wait for the Prince to come to him.

     It was why when he had noticed that Noct looked a little pale that morning as they broke camp he had bitten back the urge to say anything. Had even comforted himself with the fact that they were all a bit under the weather, the stress of life on the run taking its toll. He couldn’t uphold that lie that evening when the flap of his tent lifted and Noctis all but stumbled inside, and Ignis immediately abandoned his phone which he had been using to scan for news of Insomnia and moved to steady him.

“Noct?”

 “I…”  The lie was there, but then Noct seemed to collapse in on himself, eyes overly bright as he admitted softly.  “I don’t feel well.”

“Do you require medicine?” Ignis demanded, only to stiffen as Noctis all but fell into his lap. “Noct?” It was only when Noct’s arms crept around his, the younger man burying his face against him that he realised the action had been deliberate.

“Just this,” Noctis whispered, voice muffled in Ignis’s shirt, his grip tightening as though he thought that Ignis might push him away, and to be honest it had occurred t him because this close there was no missing the heat coming from his charge. However, that thought met a swift end when Noctis peered up at him trustingly, voice low and pleading as he added quietly.  “Please.” It would have taken a more cold-hearted man than Ignis to ignore that plea, and the fact that Noct had willingly reached out for help this time, and if his voice was suspiciously thick when he replied then no one had to know but the two of them.

“Of course, Noct.”

 


End file.
